ruinous
/'ruinəs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Causing or likely to cause complete destruction, downfall, or financial collapse. This describes something that leads to ruin, whether physical, financial, or otherwise.
- Extremely harmful or devastating. This emphasizes the severe, damaging effect of something.
Usage and Examples
- Describing financial or economic destruction:
- The war had a ruinous effect on the country's economy.
- Taking on that much debt would be a ruinous decision for the company.
- Describing physical destruction or severe damage:
- The hurricane left a ruinous trail along the coast.
- They could not afford the ruinous cost of repairing the ancient castle.
- Describing something extremely harmful:
- The policy proved to be ruinous to small businesses.
- He faced ruinous legal fees after the lengthy court case.
Advanced Usage
- "ruinously" (adverb): In a way that causes ruin.
- The project was ruinously expensive.
- Used in formal or literary contexts to emphasize total devastation.
- The general led a ruinous campaign that cost thousands of lives.
Variants and Related Words
- Ruin (n/v): The state of being destroyed or the act of destroying.
- The building fell into ruin. (n)
- Bad investments could ruin you. (v)
- Ruinousness (n): The quality of being ruinous (less common).
- Catastrophic (adj): Similar in meaning, suggesting a sudden, widespread disaster.
Synonyms
- Destructive: Causing great damage.
- Devastating: Causing severe shock, distress, or damage.
- Disastrous: Causing great damage or failure.
- Calamitous: Involving calamity; catastrophic.
Antonyms
- Beneficial: Producing good or helpful results.
- Constructive: Serving a useful purpose; tending to build up.
- Advantageous: Involving or creating favorable circumstances.
Idioms and Phrases
- "a ruinous course/path": A series of actions that will inevitably lead to disaster.
- The dictator's aggressive policies set the nation on a ruinous course.
- "ruinous to one's health/fortunes": Extremely harmful to one's physical or financial well-being.
- The stress of the job was ruinous to his health.
Adjective
- causing injury or blight; especially affecting with sudden violence or plague or ruin
- the blasting effects of the intense cold on the budding fruit
- the blasting force of the wind blowing sharp needles of sleet in our faces
- a ruinous war
- extremely harmful; bringing physical or financial ruin
- a catastrophic depression
- catastrophic illness
- a ruinous course of action